Aubrey Plaza has quite the to-do list

By James Robinson |
July 24, 2013
| Updated: July 24, 2013 4:20pm

The actress Aubrey Plaza, a "Parks and Recreation" star, in New York, June 29, 2013. With the film "The To Do List," Plaza takes her trademark deadpan to more mature comic heights. (Beatrice de Gea/The New York Times) -- PHOTO MOVED IN ADVANCE AND NOT FOR USE - ONLINE OR IN PRINT - BEFORE JULY 14, 2013.

Photo By BEATRICE DE GEA/STR

The actress Aubrey Plaza, a "Parks and Recreation" star, in New York, June 29, 2013. With the film "The To Do List," Plaza takes her trademark deadpan to more mature comic heights. (Beatrice de Gea/The New York Times) -- PHOTO MOVED IN ADVANCE AND NOT FOR USE - ONLINE OR IN PRINT - BEFORE JULY 14, 2013.

Photo By BEATRICE DE GEA/STR

The actress Aubrey Plaza, a "Parks and Recreation" star, in New York, June 29, 2013. With the film "The To Do List," Plaza takes her trademark deadpan to more mature comic heights. (Beatrice de Gea/The New York Times) -- PHOTO MOVED IN ADVANCE AND NOT FOR USE - ONLINE OR IN PRINT - BEFORE JULY 14, 2013.

Photo By BEATRICE DE GEA/STR

The actress Aubrey Plaza, a "Parks and Recreation" star, in New York, June 29, 2013. With the film "The To Do List," Plaza takes her trademark deadpan to more mature comic heights. (Beatrice de Gea/The New York Times) -- PHOTO MOVED IN ADVANCE AND NOT FOR USE - ONLINE OR IN PRINT - BEFORE JULY 14, 2013.

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Comedy paradigms are turned on their heads in "The To Do List" with a female, rather than male, character embarking on a determined voyage of sexual discovery the summer before she starts college.

First-time writer-director Maggie Carey wrote the lead role with Aubrey Plaza in mind, envisioning a cross between April, Plaza's character on TV's "Parks and Recreation," and Reese Witherspoon's Tracy Flick from "Election."

Q: After six years on TV, how do you combat expectations people might have of you?

A: It is hard for me to directly understand what those images of me are. But I take it as a challenge, actually. It's fun to work with and against the ideas people have of me as a person, based on a made-up character I play.

Q: Do you think Brandy, your character in "The To Do List," is a departure for you?

A: I think so. It felt very different when I was filming it, like I was no longer playing the weird girl at the back of the class, but a straight, type-A character. I wanted to play someone who was more sincere, less sarcastic and ironic.

Q: "The To Do List" is pretty explicit in parts. Were there any nerves about that?

A: I've never really done a sex scene before. It was really scary. It was all done for comedy stakes though, so I did feel protected. The scenes come from a place of self-deprecation. They're not very sexy either, more awkward.

Having said that, there were moments when it felt like I was shooting porn. Acting out the heavy breathing and having a camera shoved in your face was really hard. That's when you think, "I really got myself into something here!"

Q: The movie strikes a delicate balance between edgy humor and heart. Was that a scary line to walk?

A: Maggie (Carey, "The To Do List" director) really put it out there. The movie is loosely based on her own experiences. I brought my own experiences to it, too. It's a really vulnerable position to put yourself in.

There are a lot of films like this, with guys and hard jokes. But when it's girls, it feels wrong on a deeper level somehow. We're less used to it.

Q: The movie is set in 1993 and has a lot of fun with the period. How did you relate to that time?

A: I was in the fourth grade. But the 1990s are very special to me. There was something weird about realizing we were making a period film set in 1993. There's something so specific and interesting and funny about that time.

Q: Where would you place "The To Do List" within the comedic canon?

A: I think that it is a real throwback to early '90s, late '80s comedies like "Dazed and Confused" but also connected into the John Hughes "Sixteen Candles" thing and contemporary comedies, too, like "Superbad." There's a real sweetness in it I hope people pick up on. It is very human, with its own very different kind of vibe. It is unlike anything else that I've ever seen done.